October 3, 2020

Dear Brooklyn Friends School Faculty and Staff:

We, the unionized faculty at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), stand in solidarity with you. We cheered for you last year when you raised your voices and overwhelmingly voted in favor of Union representation. We are now outraged at the Brooklyn Friends School’s efforts to undermine your choice by filing a petition at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking to deny you the right to a Union. 

We fail to see how union representation conflicts with Quaker values and traditions, which include community and equality. To the contrary, unionization is entirely consistent with the kind of progressive educational environment that both ECFS and BFS offer. We also know, from our own experiences, that unions at independent schools lift up the entire school community. Time after time, our union has played a critical role in improving conditions at our school that benefit not just us, but our students and their families. 

We offer you our full-throated support and we call upon the BFS administration and Board of Directors to do the right thing—immediately withdraw the NLRB petition and bargain with the union for a fair collective bargaining agreement.

In solidarity,
ECFS FIC Union 

 
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#friendsdontletfriendsbustunions